Zakariya Khan Bahadur Explained

Zakariyyā Khān
Office:	Subahdār of Lahore
Parents:	Abd al-Samād Khān
Children:	Yahyā Khān Shāh Nawāz Khān
Dynasty:	Ansari
Predecessor:	Abd al-Samād Khān
Allegiance:	Mughal Empire
Branch:	Mughal Army
Successor:	Yahyā Khān
Death Date:	July 1745
Death Place:	Lahore Subah
Termend:	July 1745
Termstart:	1726
Honorific Suffix:	Bahadur

Zakariya Khan (died 1745), alternatively spelt as Zakaria Khan, was the Mughal Empire's subahdar of the Lahore Subah from 1726 to 1745 till death, succeeding his father, Abd al-Samad Khan, in the post.

He was descended from the Ansari family of Panipat.^[1] He continued and extended his father's policy of severe persecution of Sikhs, and thousands of Sikhs were killed during his period in the post, especially during the Chhota Ghallughara.^{[2] [3]}

Biography

Zakriya Khan was given control of Lahore by Persian Emperor Nader Shah during his invasion of the Mughal Empire in 1738 in return for annual tribute payments to the Persian crown.^[4] He continued the persecution of Sikhs and appointed Salabat Khan to block Amritsar and not allowing Sikhs to worship there. Zakaria Khan condemned the religious martyr, Haqiqat Rai, to death.^[5] According to prominent early Sikh historian Ratan Singh Bhangu, in response to having his scalp torn off, Bhai Taru Singh cursed Zakaria Khan, saying he would be killed by his shoes. According to Sikh sources, after cutting Bhai Taru Singh's scalp, Zakaria Khan was stricken with unbearable pain and the inability to urinate. As a last resort, Khan sent an apology to the Khalsa Panth for his persecution of Sikhs and begged for forgiveness. It was suggested that if Khan hit himself with Singh's shoes, his condition might be lifted. Although it would cure Khan of his condition, he died 22 days later from having hit himself with the shoes, just as Singh predicted. Salabat Khan was killed in an encounter with Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Sikhs liberated Amritsar in March 1748.^[6]

In popular culture

Film & Television

Zakariya Khan is portrayed by:

• Shaikh Sami in the DD National series Maharaja Ranjit Singh
• Avtar Gill in the 2023 film Mastaney

See also

• Farrukhsiyar
• Massa Ranghar
• Jaspat Rai

Notes and References

1. Book: Chiefs and Families of Note in the Delhi, Jalandhar, Peshawar and Derajat Divisions of the Panjab . Charles Francis Massy . Pioneer Press . 1890 .
2. The advanced study in history of the Punjab: Volume 1; G. S. Chhabra (1968), p 346
3. Punjab district gazetteers, Volume 9, 1987, p 72
4. Book: bahādur.), Muḥammad Laṭīf (Saiyid, khān. History of the Panjáb from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Time. 1891. Calcutta Central Press Company, limited. en.
5. Book: Nirankari, Maan Singh . Sikhism, a Perspective . Unistar Books . Edited by Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry . 2008 . 81-7142-621-2 . Chandigarh . 154 . 289070938 . 6. Hakikat Rai: He was born at Sialkot in 1781 B.S. or 1724 C.E. in a Kshtriya household of Bhagh Mal and his wife Kauran. He was married to Durga Devi daughter of a Sehajdhari Sikh Kishan Chand of Batala. He entered the Sikh faith through the inspiration of Bhai Budh Singh from Batala. When the Muslim ruler asked him to convert to Islam, he refused to obey his orders. As a result, this young boy was slaughtered under the orders of Khan Zakariya Khan, the Nawab of Lahore in 1741. A fair used to be organized on the day of Basant Panchmi in his memory at Lahore in the pre-partition days..
6. Book: Singha, Dr H. S.. Sikh Studies. 2005. Hemkunt Press. 9788170102588. en.